Russia has added Moscow and the surrounding Moscow region to a nationwide ban on cryptocurrency mining, with the restrictions due to remain in place from 15 August until 31 December 2032.
The measure also covers nine municipal districts and one urban district in the Kursk region, as the Russian government seeks to reduce pressure on local electricity networks caused by energy-intensive mining operations.
Resolution 936, signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on 25 July, amended a decree issued in December 2024 banning the mining of digital currency, including participation in a mining pool, in selected constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
The amendment brings the City of Moscow and the Moscow region within the scope of that legislation. In the Kursk region, the affected areas are Belovsky, Bolshesoldatsky, Glushkovsky, Korenevsky, Lgovsky, Rylsky, Sudzhansky and Khomutovsky municipal districts, together with the urban district of the city of Lgov.
The decision follows a recommendation from the government commission responsible for the development of the electric power industry. It said mining activity was placing additional strain on electricity infrastructure in the affected areas.
More than 65 data centres operate across Moscow and the Moscow region, with a combined capacity of 734 MW.
The restrictions are part of a wider series of measures introduced in regions where energy supplies are under pressure. The government has previously imposed bans covering specific areas and periods in an effort to protect electricity access for households and essential facilities.
In December 2024, similar restrictions were introduced in Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Chechnya, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Zaporizhzhia and the Kherson region.
At the time, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said mining remained a relevant activity but indicated that further controls would be needed “to ensure the connection of social facilities and enterprises under construction first.”
Russia’s Ministry of Energy has pointed to what it described as positive results from comparable measures in Siberia. According to the ministry, the restrictions reduced demand on the Siberian power grid by more than 300 MW and helped avoid limitations on electricity use for citizens.
Cryptocurrency mining requires substantial computing power, with large-scale operations relying on data centres that consume significant amounts of electricity. The latest amendment therefore extends the government’s effort to manage demand in areas where the grid is considered vulnerable.
The Moscow restrictions will apply for more than seven years, beginning on 15 August and ending on 31 December 2032. During that period, cryptocurrency mining operations and participation in mining pools will be prohibited in the newly designated territories under the amended decree.
